Incinerator device



Dec. 6, 1966 G- E. M GINNIS INCINERATOR DEVICE Filed D90. 16, 1963 WITNESSES lNVENTOR Gerald E. Mc Ginnis BY WKTY YMWJM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,289,618 INCINERATOR DEVICE Gerald E. McGinnis, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., :1 corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 331,044 8 Claims. (Cl. 110-8) This invention relates to appliances and particularly to waste incinerator devices wherein trash is reduced to a clear and odorless gas with a minimum of ash. The incinerator of the present invention is so constructed and arranged as to be acceptable for location among household appliances, such as clothes washers and clothes dryers, and to present no more hazards or care in operation than such conventional appliances.

An object of the invention is to provide for combustion of household or institutional waste at a point within the device at a temperature high enough to reduce combustible material to a clear and odorless gas with a minimum of ash and to exhaust the combustion chamber of these products of combustion by cooling within the device for transportation to convenient locations for disposal without need for protecting against fire hazard or exposing the user to any inconvenience.

In accordance with the exemplified embodiment of the present invention, an open top funnel-shaped combustion chamber is surmounted by an open bottom trash bin and means are provided to compact the trash stuffed in said bin to an imporous plug which is held from downward movement by the slanting sides of the funnel-shaped ceramic mass constituting sides of the combustion chamber. The bottom face of this imporous plug constitutes an upper wall of the combustion chamber and as this becomes eroded and shrunken through combustion, the said plug gradually moves downwardly so that thi bottom face of the plug substantially and continually occupies the same place which may be defined loosely as the plane of the junction of the combustion chamber and the trash bin.

A firing chamber is constructed and arranged to substantially surround the funnel-shaped sides of the combustion chamber and this houses electrical resistance heaters so that combustion ar pumped thereinto may be brought up to a high temperature and then led through orifices in the sides of the combustion chamber to induce combustion of a thin layer over the said bottom face of the said imporous plug. The combustion process is self sustaining except for very wet plugs; consequently, the electrical heaters are turned ofi after startup.

Through means (not shown) the rate of combustion is regulated so that all combustion takes place and is completed in the combustion chamber. At the bottom of the funnel-shaped chamber a mouth or chute is provided through which all the products of combustion, both gaseous and ash are exhausted. At the end of this chute the outflowing products of combustion encounter an incoming stream of cooling air in what may be termed a mixing chamber and the hot products thus mixed with the cooling air are cooled to the point where they no longer present a hazard as they issue forth from the device. At this point the diluted air transporting the ash enters a labyrinth formed by bafiles provided by a removable ash tray so that the ash is separated from the cooled gases which are then directed to an exhaust vent.

A feature of the invention is a ceramic member which has formed therein a combination of three chambers, a funnel-shaped combustion chamber, a firing chamber surrounding the combustion chamber, and a mixing chamber. The combustion chamber has an open top which is then closed by the downwardly pressed imporous plug of trash compacted by means within the trash bin. The combustion of the trash is confined to this bottom face of the plug so that the combustion chamber .substantially consists of an inverted cone. The combustion chamber is surrounded by a firing chamber which houses heating means so that combustion air pumped thereinto is then delivered as high temperature oxygen rich gas through orifices to the combustion chamber to maintain combustion. The products of combustion, both gaseous and ash, are then dropped out of a chute constituting the mouth of the funnel-shaped sides of the combustion chamber where they encounter and are mixed with cooling air entered into the mixing chamber formed as a unitary part of the said ceramic member. Thus the ceramic member provides means to induce and maintain combustion of the bottom face of the plug of imporous material, means to exhaust the products of combustion from the combustion chamber and means to cool and transport the cooled products to an exhaust port.

An ash pit device is removably attached to the ceramic block and may be constructed of comparatively light weight material, easily handled by the operator, since the stream of ash and gas delivered thereto has been sufficiently cooled for comfort in handling. By mean of bafiles and plates in this ash separation drawer, substantially all the ash is removed from the streantand the gases are finally discarded through the exhaust vent of the device.

A feature of the invention may therefore be defined as the principle of internal cooling of all the products of combustion, both gaseous and solid, particularly as applied to an incinerator where the combustion takes place in a thin layer of the bottom face of a plug of compacted and imporous material.

Other features will appear hereinafter.

The drawings consist of a single sheet having one figure constituting a schematic diagram partly in cross-section showing the cooperative relationship of the various elements.

The device consists substantially of a single-piece ceramic member 1, surmounted by a metal container 2, into which trash 3 may be stuffed and compacted by an inflatable bag 4. A cover 5, through which a conventional pipe 6 for the supply of compressed air is led may be fastened to the top of the trash bin 2, so that this bin is air tight and no air can move downwardly through the compacted trash 3. It will appear that the trash 3, through the compacting pressure applied by the bag 4 and the carbonization of its arched bottom face by combustion, forms an imporous plug which is restricted in its downward movement by the funnel-shaped surface of the ceramic member 1. The bottom portion of this funnel-shaped chamber 7 is known as the combustion chamber and the bottom face 8 of the imporous plug of trash 3 constitutes one wall thereof.

It will be noted that a firing chamber 9 is fashioned in the ceramic member 1 beneath the funnel-shaped walls thereof which constitute the other walls of the combustion chamber 7. This firing chamber 9 houses an electric heating element 10 and has an inlet 11 for combustion air which, being heated in the firing chamber 9, is then passed through orifices, such as 12 and 13, to the combustion chamber 7. It should particularly be noted that the construction of this ceramic member is such that heat which may be conducted through the funnel-shaped walls of the combustion chamber 7 to the firing chamber 9, merely serves to aid the electrical means in heating the air which is delivered to the combustion chamber. Thus the combustion and the hot spot of the device is confined to a small area deeply buried within the device and insulated by the peculiar formation of the ceramic member 1 so that the device presents no hazard either to the location where it may be installed or to the operator.

The funnel-shaped combustion chamber 7 is provided with a mouth or a downwardly pointing chute 14, through Patented Dec. 6, 1966.

which all the products of combustion of the bottom face of the plug are dropped into the cooling chamber 15. Through an inlet 16 cool air is entered into this cooling ch amber where it is mixed With the products of combu-tion dropping out of the chute 14, after which the coo ed ashes and gaseous products of combustion are discarded through the exhaust port 17 into a pan or container 18, which may be removable. Container 18 serves to provide bafiies, such as 19 and 20, to slow the movement of the gas and transported ash and to drop out the ashes before a final exhaust vent 21 therein is reached. Thus the whole of the products of the combustion are cooled and exhausted from the combustion chamber and the ashes are collected in the pan or container 18, which may be dumped from time to time.

The movement of cooling air into the port 16 and the diluted gaseous products of combustion out of the exhaust vent 21 may be controlled either by.-a blower fan (not shown) to pump cooling air into the port 16 or a suction type fan (not shown) near the exhaust 21.

What is claimed is:

1. A domestic appliance for disposal of trash by incineration thereof to a clear and odorless gas with a minimum of ash, comprising a single-piece ceramic member having an Open funnel-shaped top, an open bottom trash bin surmounted on said ceramic member, means in said trash bin for compacting trash st'ufied therein to an imporous plug and for forcing said plug downwardly until halted in its downward movement by said funnel shaped Walls of said ceramic member, the space provided by the bottom face of said plug and the lower portions of said funnel-shaped walls of said ceramic member constituting a combustion chamber, a firing chamber formed is said member substantially surrounding said funnelshaped walls, heating means in said firing chamber, an inlet port in said member for bringing fresh air into said firing chamber and orifices in said funnel-shaped wall common to said combustion chamber and said firing chamber for delivery heated fresh air to said combustion chamber, a chute in said member at the bottom of said funnel-shaped walls for exhausting said combustion chamber of all the products of combustion therein, a mixing chamber in said member beneath said combustion chamber and said firing chamber, having an entry port defined by said chute to empty thereinto all said products of combustion, having a second entry port to empty thereinto cool dilution air, and having an exhaust port for removing therefrom cooled and diluted products of combustion, and an ash tray removably attached to said ceramic member constructed and arranged to receive said cooled and diluted products of combustion and having a final exhaust vent for the discard of cooled gases, said ash tray having bafides arranged to provide a labyrinth between said exhaust port of said mixing chamber and said final exhaust vent to separate ashes from said gases.

2. An incinerator device comprising means defining a combustion chamber, compacting means for forming waste material into a compacted plug and advancing such plug into said combustion chamber for burning, mean for introducing combustion air into said combustion chamber, means defining a coo-ling chamber disposed beneath said combustion chamber and open to the b:ttom thereof to receive all gases and incombustible solid matter exiting therefrom, means for introducing cooling air into said cooling chamber in by-pass of said combustion chamber for cooling the aforesaid gases and solid matter, a removable ash receptacle open to the bottom of said cooling chamber to receive cooled solid matter therefrom, and means defining a low-temperature exhaust vent via which the cooled gases from the cooling chamber exit the device.

3. The incinerator device of claim 2, wherein said device includes a separator means for removing fly ash from the cooled gases while enroute to said exhaust vent.

4. The incinerator device of claim 3, wherein said separator means comprise a plurality of bafiies disposed within said ash receptacle.

5. The incinerator device of claim 2, wherein the combustion chamber and cooling chamber are formed in a single-piece ceramic member.

6. The incinerator device of claim 2, wherein said device comprises means for introducing combustion air directly into said combustion chamber whereby escape thereof into said cooling chamber assists in clearing said combustion chamber of solid matter.

7. The incinerator device of claim 2, wherein admission of cooling air and combustion air into the device is obtained by suction applied to said exhaust vent.

8. The incinerator device of claim 2, further comprising a trash bin surmounting said combustion chamber, and said device being further characterized in that said combustion chamber has a funnel-shaped wall open at a larger upper end to the bottom of said trash bin and at a smaller bottom end to said cooling chamber, and in that said compacting means is disposed in said trash bin and obtains compaction of waste therein into an imporous plug by forcing a forward end of such waste against said funnelshaped wall for burning thereof exclusively at such forward end.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 224,683 2/1880 Harper 126-223 248,391 10/1881 Baum 126-223 391,254 10/1888 Laube 126225 2,932,713 4/1960 Powers -18 2,979,897 4/1961 Studhalter 15850.1 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 150,924 11/1950 Australia.

216,129 7/1961 Austria.

941,105 6/ 1948 France.

17,420 of 1913 Great Britain.

KENNETH W. SPRAGUE, Primary Examiner. FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 111., Examiner, H. B, RAMEY, Assistant Examiner, 

2. AN INCINERATOR DEVICE COMPRISING MEANS DEFINING A COMBUSTION CHAMBER, COMPACTING MEANS FOR FORMING WASTE MATERIAL INTO A COMPACTED PLUG AND ADVAANCING SUCH PLUG INTO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR BURNING, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING COMBUSTION AIR INTO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, MEANS DEFILNING A COOLING CHAMBER DISPOSED BENEATH SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND OPEN TO NTHE BOTTOM THEREOF TO RECEIVE ALL GASES AND INCOMBUSTIBLE SOLID MATTER EXITING THEREFROM, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING COOLING AIR INTO SAID COOLING CHAMBER IN BY-PASS OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR COOLING THE AFORESAID GASES AND LOLID MATTER, A REMOVABLE ASH RECEPTACLE OPEN TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID COOLING CHAMBER TO RECEIVE COOLED SOLID MATTER THEREFROM, AND MEANS DEFINING A LOW-TEMPERATURE EXHAUST VENT VIA WHICH THE COOLED GASES FROM THE COOLING CHAMBER EXIT THE DEVICE. 